Grave-vault.



Patented Jan. 30, I900. R. G. SYKES.

GRAVE VAULT.

(Application filed Dec. 4, 1897.)

(No Model.)

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(GRAVE- VAU Ll'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N... 642,504, dated January30, looo. Application filed December 4, 1897. erial No. 660,739 (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAYMOND G. SYKEs, of Niles, Trumbull county, Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grave-Vaults; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improved gravevault designed to receive thecoffin or casket containing the corpse.

The object of my invention is to provide a practical and durablegrave-vault which can be easily and quickly manufactured, that isimpervious to air and water, and from which the coffin or body cannot beremoved without the destruction of the vault.

With this object in view my invention consists in certain features ofconstruction and combinations of parts hereinafter described, andpointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a perspective of my improvedvault without its top or cover. Fig. II is a longitudinal verticalsection of the vault with the cover in place, and Fig. III is atransverse vertical section of the closed vault. Fig. IV is a top plan,in horizontal section, of a corner of the vault.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the vaults bottom or base; B,the top or cover; 0 O, the two sides, and D D the two ends. Each of theparts A, B, O C, and D D is composed of a slab that consists of a sheetof metallic lath G, covered upon each side with a layer of cement, and gand g designate the cement on opposite sides, respectively, of a slab. Aslab made in the manner described possesses great strength anddurability.

The side slabs and end slabs of the vault at their lower ends engagegrooves a, formed in the bottom slab, and are cemented, as at a, to thebottom slab within the said grooves, that are large enough toaccommodate not only the reception of the upright slabs, but also theintroduction of the cement a along the external surfaces of the uprightslabs at the upper side of the bottom slab. The bottom slab and theupright slabs are therefore firmly united together by cement, and thelatter forms a fluid-tight joint between the bottom slab and the uprightslabs.

The end slabs of the vault at their upright ends engage grooves 0,formed in the side slabs, and are cemented, as at O to the side slabswithin the said grooves, that are large enough to accommodate not onlythe reception of the engaging ends of the end slabs, but also theintroduction of the cement 0 between the outer sides of the end slabsand the outer and inwardly facing sides of the said grooves. The endslabs and side slabs are therefore united together by cement, that formsa fluid-tight joint between the side slabs and the end slabs. The bodyportion of the vault, near its upper end and internally, is providedwith a seat for the cover or closingslab B, and the said seat consists,preferably, of angle-irons I, secured in any approved manner to themetallic lath that constitutes the interior portion of the side slabsand end slabsthat is, an angle-iron I is secured to each of the uprightslabs, and all of the angle-irons are arranged in the same horizontalplane, so as to form a suitable seat for the cover B.

The internal corners of the body portion of the vault, below the coversseat, are provided with cement K, that entirely covers the jointsbetween adjacent slabs, and I would remark that the joints between theupright slabs, along their entire length below the covers seat, and thejoints between the upright slabs and bottom slab, along their entirelength, are covered, internally of the vault, with cement, that forms afluid-tight joint between the connected slabs and is also instrumentalin uniting the connected slabs together. Also more or less of the cementemployed in the covering of the internal joints of the vault runs in itsapplication into holes or recesses K, formed in the connected slabs, soas to form a key that is instrumental in supporting the said cement andin more perfectly uniting the connected slabs together, and I would hereremark that each of the slabs of the vault proper, upon its inner sideand in close proximity to the joint between each end thereof and the endof the adjacent slab, is provided with a series of holes or recesses K,arranged at suitable intervals along the said end for the purpose ofreceiving cement during the application of the cement to the internalcorners of the vault. In Fig. IV of the drawings is shown a corner ofthe vault before covering the joints interiorly between the slabs of thesaid corner. The cover or closing-slab is somewhat smaller in dimensionsthan the opening at the upper side of the seat provided to receive it,but large enough to rest upon the said seat at the inner edge of eachupright slab, and the cover when applied is placed in position centrallyupon the said seat, and the narrow space between the edges of the coverand the 0pposing surfaces of the vault proper is filled with cement O,that not only forms a fluidtight joint between the edges of the coverand the vault proper, but is instrumental in uniting the cover and vaultproper firmly together.

The slab that forms the cover differs in construction from the remainingslabs that compose the vault proper in that it is providedinternallywith flanged irons 1), preferably T- irons, that are securedin any approved manner to the metallic lath employed in the constructionof the cover and extend transversely of the cover and are long enough tooverlap and restupon the covers seat at the sides of the vault properwhen the cover is applied. The said irons impart rigidity and strengthto the cover and are preferably covered by the cement that forms theupper surface of the cover.

What I claim is A vault having its body portion or vault proper composedof upright slabs and a bottom slab suitably assembled and made,respectively, of metallic lathing covered with cement, and angle-ironsarranged so as to form a seat for a cover for the vault internally ofthe vault proper, at the latters upper end and inner side, whichangle-irons are suitably secured to the lathing of the upright slabs,substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification, in the presence of twoWitnesses, this 27th day of October, 1897.

RAYMOND G. SYKES.

Witnesses:

MINNIE MARVIN, 0. S. MCCARTY.

